SBS World News Radio

In this episode of SBS On the Money, Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Matt Hassan, Senior Economist at Westpac, about how Australia's residential property wealth has fallen for the first time in four years, and what it means for homeowners, spending and interest rates. The Australian sharemarket also hits a six-week low, with Stuart Roberts from Stocks Down Under unpacking the market moves, while a weaker French wine harvest could soon mean higher prices for champagne as wine economist Kym Anderson tells Tom Kennedy.

One Nation has proposed a policy to allow homeowners and renters to unlock some of their super to pay pressing bills. The government has moved to scuttle the policy, while the opposition and economists have warned it will drive up inflation, and cause more interest rate rises that will increase cost of living pressures further.

Daniel Martin from Alvia Asset Management goes through today's Australian share market action including plans for Kogan.com CEO Ruslan Kogan to restructure his pay, which would see him receiving the minimum wage.

As Australia settles into spring, experts are urging people not to let their guard down against seasonal illnesses. Respiratory illnesses continue to circulate among populations, with higher spring pollen levels also expected to trigger asthma and allergy symptoms. Here's what you need to know.

Veterans' advocate groups have descended on Canberra to protest against a proposed cap on allied health services. A series of decorated former service members laid down their medals in a symbolic show of resistance. The government continues to resist the pressure, as the Coalition throws its weight behind veterans.

The Alternative for Germany Party, or AfD has celebrated surging into first place in exit polls from the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two. It has emerged as the strongest political force in the eastern German state but apparently has fallen short of the absolute majority it had sought to govern alone.

Eleven days after an ice-rock avalanche triggered a deadly mudslide in Nepal, two more survivors have been found alive. It's a rare sign of hope in a disaster that has killed more than 1,300 people and left nearly 4,900 others missing, including 36 Australians.

SBS reporter Natalie Poyhonen speaks to Professor Leslie Loble from UTS, previously a deputy secretary in the NSW department of Education, about for the future of teaching, research and learning in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

Housing affordability in Australia has fallen to its worst level on record, with new data showing homeowners in some capital cities are spending more than 60 per cent of their income on mortgage repayments. SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt about what's driving the affordability crunch and whether easing home values could bring relief. Plus, with the Australian sharemarket closing lower despite an early lift from Wall Street and the Australian dollar hitting a four-month high, Jacqui Newman, Head of Capital Markets at Sharsies, breaks down the day's key market moves.

In the first national study of its kind, a new report by the University of Melbourne's BlakAbility team, examined the experiences of Indigenous people with lived experience of incarceration and disability. SBS reporter Yasmine Alwakal speaks to researchers Dr Sharon Kerr and Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri woman, Dr Roslyn Sackley on their findings.

It was a week of diplomacy dominated by security, climate change and growing competition for influence in the Pacific. But as issues involving China and Taiwan repeatedly pushed their way onto the agenda of the forum - are the regional tensions a litmus test for the 18-member forum?

Tributes have poured in from around the world hailing Gloria Steinem as a "hero" after her death at the age of 92. Steinem is being remembered as one of the trailblazers for women's equality.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Tony Weber, of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, about the latest trends shaping Australia's car market. Then, as the Australian sharemarket snaps a three-day losing streak with gains led by the banking sector, David Lane from Focus Partners joins the podcast to unpack the day's market action and what investors should watch next.

Nepal's new government struggles under a cataclysmic landslide and blames climate change. Iceland says no to even considering EU membership and the Pacific Islands Forum in disarray over Taiwan's presence. Plus, a very un-Norwegian royal.

More than four years into the war, fighting between Russia and Ukraine is reaching new heights.

Pill testing is set to be rolled out at a range of music festivals in New South Wales this summer. But there are now questions about how the rest of Australia will handle the issue - and whether it goes too far or not far enough.

Australia's economy grew 0.4 per cent in the June quarter, but Westpac senior economist Ryan Wells explains why weak productivity and inflationary labour costs could still bring another interest rate rise. Plus, Perpetual Head of Investment Strategy Matt Sherwood breaks down the Australian sharemarket's 1 per cent fall as rising oil prices reignited global inflation concerns.

At the Pacific Islands Forum, the government announced a $600 million dollar package to fight fight trans-national drug trafficking in the Pacific. Political correspondent Naveen Razik speaks to leading crime expert from Honiara - Virginia Comolli about the situation on the ground and how it's caused in part by the huge market for illicit substances in Australia

As bird flu takes hold across Australia, experts are warning of widespread mortality in native species, based on how the virus has ripped through environments overseas. The disease rarely infects humans, but it could drive a rise in eco-anxiety, especially among communities that are closely connected with nature.

The United States and Iran are talking about diplomacy, while exchanging increasingly severe threats and attacks. Washington says its latest strikes are retaliation, Tehran says its response is not over, and countries across the Gulf are trying to stop the confrontation escalating further. But as the diplomatic language continues, so too does the human cost.

Was it just a matter of time before circumstances caused the flooding disaster in Nepal? Alton Byers is a mountain geographer and a faculty research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He specializes in applied research, high altitude ecosystems, glacier hazards, and implementation of integrated conservation and development programs in the Himalayas, Andes, and East African Highlands. He's told the Associated Press that climate change is affecting the structure of mountain geology around the world.

Australia's property downturn is gathering pace just as the busy spring selling season begins. Cotality Head of Research Tim Lawless explains what falling prices mean for buyers and sellers, while VanEck's Jamie Hannah unpacks the Australian sharemarket's subdued session, rising oil prices and higher bond yields.

New research has revealed that the thylacine, or the Tassie tiger was unlike any living mammal today. SBS reporter Yasmine Alwakal speaks to Vera Weisbecker, a professor of Evolutionary Biology at Flinders University who says the story of the Thylacine offers a warning about the risks of contemporary extinction.

After promising "consequences" for Taiwan's presence at the Pacific Islands Forum, China is denying comments by a senior diplomat are a threat - and that it has engaged in foreign interference. Taiwan's expanded role at the forum has enraged Beijing and there are concerns the rivalry will overshadow potential progress on regional issues, particularly climate action.

Rescue and recovery efforts continue in Nepal, where one teacher is being praised for a snap decision that saved hundreds of students' lives. As the death toll and list of missing people in the flood devastated region grows, the search for survivors becomes increasingly desperate.

Are we alone in the universe? It's one of humanity's most pressing questions. NASA now believes it's a step closer to answering that very question with the launch of a new telescope that it says could unlock some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Piers Bolger from Infinity Asset Management about the day's market action including how investors reacted to Kevin Warsh's speech at Jackson Hole as he offers his earnings season report card.

Knockoffs aren't anything new in the fashion industry, but experts say the rise of online shopping has made it easier to find duplicated designs. Business owners and fashion law experts are calling for better education to ensure smaller designers can protect their creative work before it hits the runway.

Which disease has an annual death rate that is two thirds of the nation's road toll - and is getting worse? The same condition has numerous, hugely famous patients and patrons at home and around the world - yet we don't know why most cases occur. Now, research into Motor Neurone Disease has identified clusters around Australia - pushing one state to make a world first move.

More than 800 people have been killed, and over 3000 missing in Nepal after devastating floods swept the region last week. With 43 Australians still unaccounted for, experts say the threat of further flooding makes rescue efforts trickier.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is among the leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum meeting Leaders Meeting in Palau.

Teachers are frequently being targeted by misogyny, sexism and gendered violence at school, according to new research from Monash University. Most of those surveyed said so-called 'manosphere' content is influencing student attitudes and behaviour. A warning - some listeners may find this story disturbing.

Across Australia it's not uncommon to hear debate over whether what you're ordering at the fish and chip shop is a potato cake or a potato scallop, or whether you're putting on bathers or togs for a swim. Australian English is as diverse as the country itself. SBS Reporter Yasmine Alwakal spoke to senior researcher at Australian National Dictionary Centre Mark Gwynn about why they are calling on Australians to help record the unique regionalisms we hear everyday.

Australia Post CEO Paul Graham says "we are in the fight of our lives" as it navigates structural change as letter volumes collapse and fierce parcel competition squeezes margins. SBS On the Money looks at what the transformation means for Australians, including the prospect of a $2 stamp, with Paul Graham, while Zoran Kresovic from Blueberry Markets explains why Nvidia's results helped propel tech stocks and the Australian sharemarket higher.

Following a late night conscience vote, the Northern Territory became the last jurisdiction to legalise Voluntary Assisted Dying in Australia. SBS reporter Angelica Waite spoke with Ben White, a professor of End-of-Life Law and Regulation at the Queensland University of Technology to discuss what the NT's Laws mean, and how they differ to other states and territories.

2024 saw the highest number of drug-induced deaths on record in Australia with more than 2,500 lives lost that year. Australia's Annual Overdose Report reveals older Australians accounted for almost half of these reported deaths. Experts say support and resources need to be urgently directed toward treatment and harm reduction.

Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb commander responsible for Srebrenica massacre has died in prison at the age of 84. Mladić, nicknamed the 'Butcher of Bosnia', spent years in hiding before a UN-established court found him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Economists at three of Australia's big four banks have changed their mind and reinstated thier forecasts of an RBA rate rise this year as stubborn inflation fuels expectations of higher borrowing costs. SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with S&P Global Ratings Director of Structured Finance Erin Kitson about what another increase could mean for mortgage holders, while Robert Talevski from Activam breaks down a one per cent fall on the Australian sharemarket and the latest company earnings.

The trade war between the US and Canada kicks off, with shots fired in both directions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent talks up sanctions D-Day for Iran and Syria's al-Sharaa says the country is “tearing out a painful chapter of its past” after the US lifts sanctions. Also, Borneo goes up in flames with palm oil adding fuel to the fires and threatening orangutans. Plus, a weightlifting robot's jittering jerk...

A meeting of federal, state and territory leaders left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conceding on a renewables mandate for data centres. Also on the agenda: a national response to a domestic violence risk framework, gun reforms and an extra $125 million for the ongoing response to bird flu. do."

At least 160 people have been killed, and hundreds including tourists and 34 Australians are missing, following the deadly flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. Local authorities say more than 150 bodies have been recovered. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says those missing are part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups. As the search continues, questions are being raised about what triggered the flood, and the risks of a new flood.

The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has held its final day of hearings. Over 62 days and nine hearing blocks, the inquiry has heard from 340 witnesses and received more than 20,000 submissions. The commission will now turn to drafting its final report and recommendations, due to be handed down in December.

From the page to the playground, annual Book Week celebrations have long brought Australian children's stories to life. Now, as national recreational reading rates decline experts and authors say engaging young people with literature is more important than ever.

SBS reporter Alexandra Jones sits down with former Prime Minister John Howard looking back at his government's approach to boat arrivals on the anniversary of the Tampa affair. It's the incident at sea in 2001 that changed Australia's policy toward asylum seekers. In this wide-ranging interview they also discuss the global security environment and migration.

Country music legend, Dolly Parton, has died at the age of 80. A prolific songwriter and renowned philanthropist, she's being remembered not just for her music but her charitable endeavours, including her Imagination Library. In a career spanning decades she had 10 Grammy wins from 55 nominations, the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history.She died peacefully in Nashville, at the age of 80, after a short battle with cancer.

There are grave concerns for Australia's seal and sea lion populations after a second suspected case of H-5 bird flu was detected in a mammal along the South Australian coast. With vaccine rollouts underway for bird populations, officials say they're still searching for an available vaccine for mammals.

The UK and France are taking a major step in their support of Ukraine, sharing classified technical information with Kyiv, to help it develop its own long-range missiles. The move comes as 50 countries and the European Union sign a joint statement, calling on Russia to end the war. But, will this international support go any way to finally ending the conflict?

Australians are losing hundreds of millions of dollars to scammers, with swindlers increasingly using artificial intelligence to hoodwink their victims. This Scams Awareness Week, experts in the field are sharing precautionary measures people can take to protect themselves.

Ukraine is marking its 35th Independence Day anniversary, as the European Union commits to further increase pressure on Russia to end its war. So what does independence mean to Ukrainians in a years-long battle with no end in sight?

Sixty years on from the Wave Hill walk-off in the Northern Territory, photographer Mervyn Bishop remembers the moments that took place before he captured this iconic photograph of Vincent Lingiari and Gough Whitlam. He spoke with NITV News journalist Phoebe McIlwraith

Almost 200 First World War servicemen have finally been added to one of Australia's earliest war memorials, more than a century after their names were left off. The 196 men from Sydney's Balmain area are now permanently commemorated at Loyalty Square, following years of research to identify them.